18th matchday
Bochum (dpa) – Wout Weghorst’s expression of suffering revealed more than a thousand words. VfL Wolfsburg’s goalscorer meekly looked for an explanation for the continued downward slide of the once proud Champions League participant.
The sobering 0: 1 (0: 0) at VfL Bochum drove away the optimism that everyone involved felt before the start of the second half of the season. “Everyone had that positive feeling. But today the feeling is anything but good,” commented the Dutchman. Thoughtfully, he added: “We mustn’t get too dramatic, we still have 16 games. But we have to see where we stand – and really, really quickly change something.”
Although Florian Kohfeldt ordered his professionals to the first preparation session for the second half of the season on December 29th and the football teacher stayed for a week to prepare for a game for the first time since taking office at the end of October, the positive effect was limited. The header hit by Bochum’s Milos Pantovic in the 65th minute destroyed all of Wolfsburg’s good intentions and increased concerns with only two points behind relegation rank 16.
Wolfsburg with negative club record
“We had planned a lot more,” complained midfielder Maximilian Arnold in the first interview with DAZN. The uncertainty that had grown in the unsuccessful first half of the year also turned out to be a major problem in Bochum. “Of course it hangs in your head. It’s not like you press a button and everything is gone,” admitted Arnold.
With the sixth Bundesliga defeat in a row, the team set a club record. If you add the two Champions League defeats against Sevilla and Lille in this period, there has been no victory in eight competitive games.
Memories of Bremen are awakened
This gloomy scenario should remind Kohfeldt of his last coaching days at Werder Bremen in mid-May 2021, when he lost his job with just one point after nine Bundesliga games. When asked whether he feared a similar fate in Wolfsburg, the 39-year-old coach responded with clear words: “I am absolutely certain that I will be on the bench against Hertha BSC and that we will get out of this situation. I am leading the way and won’t complain, “he said, looking at the home game next Saturday against the one point better table neighbors from Berlin.
Giving up is not an option for Kohfeldt. Despite all the disappointment about the recent setback in Bochum, he has made progress: “In terms of the basic structure, we saw a different VfL Wolfsburg than in the first half of the season.” He added fiercely: “We will continue with our plan that we developed in winter. It was clear to me that we were in a very difficult situation.”
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